Friction-buffer for railway-cars



(No Model.) 2 S.heetsSheet 1..

J. A. HINSON. FRICTION BUFFER FOR RAILWAY CARS.

Nd. 489,748. Patented Nov. 4, 1890.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. Av HINSON. FRICTION BUFFER FOB. RAILWAY (JARS.

' .No. 439,748. Patented Nov. 4, 1890.

ATTES'T. INVENTOR.

my MW UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. HINSON, OF DES MOINES, IOIVA.

FRlCTlON-BUFFER FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,748, dated November 4, 1890.

Application filed March 10, 1890. Serial No. 343,380. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES A. HINsON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Friction-Buffers for Draw- Bar Attachments for Railway-Cars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,

and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invent-ion relates, generally, to drawbar attachments for railway-cars, and particularly to frictional buffer draw-bar attachments; and it has for its object to provide a simple, durable, and effective device whereby the resistance to the movement of the drawbar or the cushioning of the same will be greatly increased without any danger of breakage of the springs or other parts of the draft rigging or draw-bar attachment; and it consists, essentially, in providing means whereby buffer-blocks arranged in the side plates or castings of the draw-bar attachment may be forced outwardly by the follower-plates to permit of the movement of the draw-bar and be automatically returned to position when the strain is removed from the draw-bar, and in the details of construction and arrangements of the parts, as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved draw-bar attachment; Fig. 2, a side elevation, partly broken away; Fig. 3, a perspective view of the rear side of one of the side plates or castings; Fig. 4, a perspective view of the rear side of one of the friction-blocks; Fig. 5, a side view of a modified form of the device; Fig. 6, a plan view, partly broken away,vof the device illustrated in Fig. 5; and Fig. 7, a plan view, partly broken away, of an another modification.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several'views.

A represents the draft-timbers secured in position'to the under side of a car in the usual or any desired manner, to the contiguous sides of which are secured the side plates or castings B of the draw=bar attachment. The

draft-timbers are recessed at a'to receive the ribs 1), cast on the rear side of side plates or castings B at their ends, and said plates have cast therewith the socketed bosses c, which communicate with the countersunk openings d, formed on the front faces of the side plates, in order to receive the heads of the bolts which secure the plates to the timbers at their centers. On the front faces of the castings or side plates B are formed the side flanges e and the cross-pieces f, which project from the surface of the plates, forming a rectangular.

recess for the reception of the ends of the follower-plates O, the flanges e forming a support for said plates 0, and the cross-pieces f forming shoulders or stops to limit the movement of the plates back and forth in the rect angular recess and preventing the plates 0 from being drawn or pushed out of place by the draw-bar.

The plates or castings B are secured to the drafttimbers by means of bolts passing through perforations in the ends of the plates and into the draft-timbers immediately over a rectangular opening K, formed in the drafttimbers, as best shown in Fig. 2. The central portion of the plates 15 is removed or cut out to form a rectangular opening through the same, as best shown in Fig. 3,for the purpose of receiving the friction buffer-blocks D. The follower-plates G are each formed with inclined or beveled ends, as shown in dotted lines at c, Fig. 1, which work against the inclined surfaces h, formed on the inner faces of the friction-buffers D and extending from each end thereof inward or toward the middle of the buffer-blocks. The bufier-blocks D are cast with studs 1' on their outer faces at each end of said butter-blocks, adapted to enter the spiral springs E and form supports for one end thereof. On the outer sides of the drafttimbers plates or bars of metal F are bolted immediately over the openings K, said bars having two studs m formed on their inner faces, coinciding with studs iand adapted to receive the outer ends of the springs S, which are located within the openings K of the drafttimbers and pressing against the friction buffer-blocks at their outer ends and against the bar or plate F at their other ends. The

draw-bar G is connected to the spindle II in the usual manner, and the latter passes through the follower-plates C and the springs L, as is customary, andis secured in place by a thimble M, having a flange n at one end and a slot 0 through its body portion, which is keyed to the spindle, as fully described in my application for Letters Patent of even date herewith. The end of the draw-bar when the same is forced backward in coupling cars or in stopping a train will force the forward follower-plate backward against the springs L and cause its beveled ends to slide on the forward beveled or inclined faces of the friction buffer-blocks D, forcing the same outward against the springs S, which will yield slowly but surely to the pressure thereon, thus breaking the force of concussion on all the springs and preventing the breakage of the springs L, and willassist the latter in forcing the draw-bar out again gradually as the pressure is removed from the front end of the draw-bar and returning the friction buffer-blocks back into position again. When the draw-bar is drawn forward, the rear follower-plate is drawn forward and the frictionblocks forced outward, as described above.

In Figs. 5 and 6 is shown a single spring S, arranged in an opening or slot a, formed in thebuifer-block D, said block having a guide arm A, one end of which is pivotally secured to the side of the draft-ti1nbers A, and the block itself projecting at right angles and enteriug the openings K, formed in said drafttimbers, where it is secured by a barB passin g through the slot 0. and bolted to the drafttimbers, as shown best in Fig. 5. The bar B supports the outer end of the spring S, and its other end rests against the inner end wall of the slot or opening a, and the inner surface of the block D is beveled off or inclined from points at equal distances from its center to its edges, as at h, as described above. The follower-plates G and the castings B are similar to those above described, and need no further description here.

111 Fig. 7 I show another modification of the means employed to cushion the d raw-bar, in which figure the guide-arm A is formed with the block D, having the inclined surfaces 7L, as above described; but instead of recessing or slotting the block I form it solid and support itin place by the flatleaf-springS',having one end bolted to the draft-timber and its free end pressing against the flat bearing-surface it, formed at the outer side of the block. It will be seen that the result is the same whichever form of my invention as above described is employed, that they will equally be compressed or give slowly to the force exerted on the draw-bar, and that they will return the frictional surfaces automatically to operative position, whether the same is an independent blocl;such as first described-or is form ed on the end of the guide-arm when pressure is removed from the draw-bar.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with the draw-bar of a car-coupler, of the vertically-arranged follower-plates, and the friction-blocks arranged at the side edges of said plates and adapted to yield outwardly, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the draw-bar of a car-coupler, of the vertically-arranged follower-plates, the friction-blocks arranged at the side edges of said plates and adapted to slide outwardly, and springs arranged in the rear of said blocks, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the followerplates of a draw-bar attachment for railwaycars, of the friction-blocks having double inclined inner faces, and springs arranged in rear of said blocks, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the followerplates having inclined or beveled ends, and a draw-oar attachment for railway-cars, of the friction-blocks having double inclined inner faces, and the springs arranged in rear of said blocks, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the followerplates of a draw-bar attachment for railway cars, of the friction-blocks arranged at the side edges of said plates, springs in rear of said blocks, and plates or bars for securing said springs in place, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with the followerplates having beveled ends, of a draw-bar attachment for railway-cars, the friction-blocks having inclined faces, springs arranged in rear of said blocks, and means for securing said springs in place, substantially as described.

7. The combination, in a draw-bar attachment for railway-cars, of the follower-plates having beveled ends, the castings or lugs havin g rectangular central openings, the frictionbloeks having inclined inner faces adapted to fit said openings, and springs arranged in rear of said blocks, substantially as described.

8. The combination, in a draw-bar attachment for railway-cars, of the follower-plates having beveled ends, the castings or lugs havin g rectangular central openings, the frictionblocks having double inclined faces, the springs adapted to hold said blocks yieldingly in place, and means for holding said springs in place, substantially as described.

9. The combination, in a draw-bar attachment for railway-cars, of the follower-plates having beveled ends, the castings having rectangular eentral openings, the friction-blocks having double inclined faces adapted to fit said openings, the springs arranged in rear of said blocks, and a bar or plate for holding said springs in place, substantially as described.

10. The combination, in a draw-bar attachment for railway-cars, of the castings having side flanges and central rectangular openings, the follower-plates having beveled ends resting on said flangcs,the friction-blocks having double inclined faces adapted'to fit said central openings, the springs adapted to yieldingly hold said blocks in place, and bars or plates for supporting said springs, substantially as described.

11. The combination, in a draw-bar attachment for railway-cars, of the follower-plates having beveled ends, the friction-blocks having double inclined faces, an arm extending from said blocks, and springs arranged to hold said blocks in contact with said followenplates, substantially as described.

12. The combination, in a draw-bar attachment for railway-cars, of the follower-plates having beveled ends, the friction-blocks having double inclined faces, openings in the bodies of said blocks and provided with arms, the springs arranged in said openings, and bars or plates for holding said springs in place, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES A. HINSON. Witnesses:

J. F. BEALE, VIoToR J. EVANS. 

